"My work, which I have done for a long time, was not pursued in order to gain the praise i now enjoy,but chiefly from a craving after knowledge, which i notice resides in me more than in most other men."~Anton Van Leeuwenhoek
About Anton Van Leeuwenhoek:
He was born October 24,1632 to a basket maker, and a brewer's daughter in Delft, Netherlands. His only known education was the elementary school in his village; he never did attend a University. In his time, he was considered an amateur, even though his work was of considerable caliber. He died August 30, 1723 at the age of 90 and he was buried in his hometown of Delft, Netherlands.
Leeuwenhoek's Work: Throughout his life, Leeuwenhoek created over 500 lenses, and about 250 microscopes--of which, 9 exist today. The most powerful microscope he had ever made could magnify up to 500 times. It is widely assumed that his simple single-lens scopes were all Van Leeuwenhoek used to make his observations. He was always very secretive about his techniques, both in the use and manufacture of his instruments. For viewing objects in bulk liquids, he fashioned a few test‑tube holders with attached lenses. In order to study the blood-circulation in the fins of eels, he constructed a few special microscopes attached to a flat support with metal strips to immobilize the subject, what we might describe as a dissection microscope.
Results of Leeuwenhoek's Work: Leeuwenhoek's methods for fabricating intense microscope lenses was hailed as a break through, paving the way for the modern world. It is generally taught that it would be another 150 years before the staining of specimens would be introduced, but Van Leeuwenhoek was the first to use histological staining, using the spice saffron to stain muscle tissue, bringing out otherwise invisible detail.
"My work, which I have done for a long time, was not pursued in order to gain the praise i now enjoy,but chiefly from a craving after knowledge, which i notice resides in me more than in most other men." ~Anton Van Leeuwenhoek
About Anton Van Leeuwenhoek:
He was born October 24,1632 to a basket maker, and a brewer's daughter in Delft, Netherlands. His only known education was the elementary school in his village; he never did attend a University. In his time, he was considered an amateur, even though his work was of considerable caliber. He died August 30, 1723 at the age of 90 and he was buried in his hometown of Delft, Netherlands.
Leeuwenhoek's Work:
Throughout his life, Leeuwenhoek created over 500 lenses, and about 250 microscopes--of which, 9 exist today. The most powerful microscope he had ever made could magnify up to 500 times. It is widely assumed that his simple single-lens scopes were all Van Leeuwenhoek used to make his observations. He was always very secretive about his techniques, both in the use and manufacture of his instruments. For viewing objects in bulk liquids, he fashioned a few test‑tube holders with attached lenses. In order to study the blood-circulation in the fins of eels, he constructed a few special microscopes attached to a flat support with metal strips to immobilize the subject, what we might describe as a dissection microscope.
Results of Leeuwenhoek's Work:
Leeuwenhoek's methods for fabricating intense microscope lenses was hailed as a break through, paving the way for the modern world. It is generally taught that it would be another 150 years before the staining of specimens would be introduced, but Van Leeuwenhoek was the first to use histological staining, using the spice saffron to stain muscle tissue, bringing out otherwise invisible detail.
works cited:
http://www.famous-scientists.net/anton-van-leeuwenhoek.htm
http://www.vanleeuwenhoek.com/#hiswork
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=anton+van+leeuwenhoek+microscope&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=qhYJ9aivb6Rl6M:&imgrefurl=http://www.jic.ac.uk/microscopy/intro_lm.html&docid=V3Lbhx2sT5XfzM&imgurl=http://www.jic.ac.uk/microscopy/images/Leeuwenhoek_microscope.jpg&w=275&h=422&ei=S_jETuWlOMPg0QHRs5H5Dg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=533&vpy=259&dur=2388&hovh=278&hovw=181&tx=104&ty=143&sig=115270018383861886665&page=3&tbnh=148&tbnw=95&start=44&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:44
http://www.aichi-gakuin.ac.jp/~jeffreyb/dental/micro.html